Fruit Machine Chat

Just wondered if any of the locals on here know why the Trocadero center in London has closed all its 'amusements' down?

Their website says "Power Failure" and unforseen circumstance...but that's been there for a couple months at least.

bing1978 wrote:Just wondered if any of the locals on here know why the Trocadero center in London has closed all its 'amusements' down?

Good question. I was gonna ask this too ...

For those who haven't visited lately, the shutters are down across all the entranceways with all the machines clearly still inside. No way it's just a power cut - but then again there're no signs up and no eviction notices.

They just spent all that time and money removing the huge central escalators recently too, the ones that took you right to the very top floor in the old days.

Presumably this includes the Sports Bar and bowling alley on the top floor as well?

(although as someone once explained on here, it isn't really the top floor at all - there apparently used to be two or three more floors above that one - there was in fact still a 'ghost escalator' leading up into what appeared to be the roof on my last visit there).

Nil Satis wrote:Presumably this includes the Sports Bar and bowling alley on the top floor as well?

(although as someone once explained on here, it isn't really the top floor at all - there apparently used to be two or three more floors above that one - there was in fact still a 'ghost escalator' leading up into what appeared to be the roof on my last visit there).

There was...I think there used to be an indoor theme park or something up that. It's pretty empty now but Urban Exploration crews have been about and taken pictures. All is shut off there now.

I read in Coin Slot that the landlords had turned the power off due to non-payment of rent.

they couldnt afford electric after i got to the eliminater :/

Nil Satis wrote:Presumably this includes the Sports Bar and bowling alley on the top floor as well?

(although as someone once explained on here, it isn't really the top floor at all - there apparently used to be two or three more floors above that one - there was in fact still a 'ghost escalator' leading up into what appeared to be the roof on my last visit there).

We did a thread about the upper floors a few years ago.

The so-called 'ghost' escalator that went up into the heavens led to the old entrance turnstiles on the top floor (above ceiling level) - this is where the prize desk used to be where you cashed-in your yellow tickets. It was jam-packed with rows and rows of the same machines and games.

It snaked round to the left through a passageway that was FULL of those red/yellow/green/blue/white roullette 'Colorama' machines (only a couple of them were retained when the three upper floors closed) and led into an area packed with £5 JP machines - Empires galore. Couple of Sonics. Oh, and a Cash Lab ... plus about 50 others.

A couple more levels of similar stuff led down an escalator that joined the present-day Sports Bar/Bowling Alley level via an escalator that got removed - which is why there's that odd ledge with a dancing game and a few cranes just opposite the bowling reception. So all-in-all there were about 6 levels.

The bottom level today is the one below the current location of the prize desk, and used to have a sectioned-off area for over-18s machines (including a Las Vegas Strip on £8 JP).

Thinking about it, those upper floors provided masses of floor space - I presume they're gathering dust now as the old escalator going up there was caked in dust when the removed it earlier this year.

The other thing I was trying to place was the location of the old Nickleodeon studios - anyone remember when they used to present the filler slots from what appeared to be a shopping centre with people pressing their noses up against the glass? I think it was where Claire's Accessories is today ....

Yes remember the old Nickleodeon filler progs from there. Mou and You come to mind.